The present invention relates to a device for ripening fruit, such as bananas, comprising a chamber containing a frame in which at least two rows of loaded pallets are placed one above the other, in such a way that there is a free space on either side of the rows of loaded pallets, and comprising cooling means for the cooling of fluid provided in the lengthwise direction along the frame: and circulation means for conveying the fluid from one longitudinal side of the frame to the other longitudinal side, in such a way that a pressure difference arises between the space at one longitudinal side and the other, as a result of which the fluid flows back essentially in the horizontal direction through the load on the pallets from one longitudinal side to the other.
Such a device is known from a brochure dated 1990 of Chiquita.RTM. about "The Uniripe.TM. process" and comprises a chamber containing a frame in which four rows of loaded pallets are placed. These four rows are placed in two adjacent stacked rows, each two loaded pallet rows high, parallel to each other in such a way in the lengthwise direction in the chamber that three separate spaces are produced, i.e. on either side of the chamber a side space between the corresponding longitudinal side wall of the chamber and the stacked row placed along it (thus a total of two side spaces), and a middle space lying between the stacked rows. Cooling and circulation means are provided in the top of the chamber, above the two loaded pallet rows stacked two high, in the lengthwise direction thereof, which means suck air out of the middle space, cool it and convey it over the loaded pallet rows stacked two high and along the ceiling of the chamber to the side spaces lying at either side of the chamber. These circulation means hereby produce a pressure difference between the side spaces and the middle space, as a result of which the air flows back in the horizontal direction through the load on the pallets from the side spaces to the middle space.
This known device has the disadvantage that, as a result of the distance, determined by standard dimensions of the pallets, between the top and bottom side of the pallet row stacked two high, the flow of air through fruit at the bottom of the chamber is not as good as that through the fruit at the top of the chamber, with the result that the fruit does not ripen uniformly. Such uneven ripening is undesirable and must be limited. The parameter taken for uneven ripening is the greatest temperature difference which can be found in the air between two points in the chamber. This temperature difference must be as small as possible for arbitrary points in the chamber. This can be achieved by increasing the circulation capacity of the circulation means. The energy consumption of such a device rises considerably as a result of this. The cooling capacity is also often increased in this case, which also leads to increased energy consumption.